Association of scrub typhus with incidence of dementia: a nationwide population-based cohort study in Korea.

BACKGROUND: Scrub typhus is a mite-borne infectious rickettsial disease that can occur in rural and urban areas, with an especially high prevalence in older populations. This disease causes systemic vasculitis that can invade the central nervous system. Considering these characteristics, here we examined whether scrub typhus was associated with the occurrence of dementia, using large population-based cohort data. METHOD: This population-based cohort study enrolled patients aged 60-89 years using data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment database of South Korea between 2009 and 2018. We defined scrub typhus and dementia using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Edition diagnostic codes. The control group was stratified according to age and sex at a ratio of 1:5 to the case group in the study population. The index date was set after 90 days beyond the date of the scrub typhus diagnosis, while the observation period was from the time of the index appointment to December 31, 2020. The primary outcome was newly diagnosed dementia. The secondary outcome was dementia classification, such as Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, and other. All analyses were conducted by matching age, gender, and comorbidity. RESULTS: During the observation period, 10,460 of 71,047 (14.7%) people who had a history of scrub typhus versus 42,965 of 355,235 (12.1%) people in the control group, that is, with no history of scrub typhus, were diagnosed with dementia (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.12; 95% confidence interval, 1.10-1.15, p < 0.001). The Kaplan-Meier curves for time to cumulative incidence of dementia showed that the dementia incidence in both groups increased over time, while individuals with a past history of scrub typhus had a higher incidence of dementia than the control group. Second, the risk of Alzheimer's disease was significantly higher among patients with a history of scrub typhus (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.15; 95% confidence interval 1.13-1.18, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, a history of scrub typhus infection in old age is significantly associated with an increase in dementia, especially Alzheimer's disease. Our results suggest that prevention and appropriate treatment of scrub typhus should be emphasized as a dementia prevention measure.

Risk of infective endocarditis associated with invasive dental procedures in patients with cardiac rhythm devices.

AIMS: The incidence of infective endocarditis related to cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) has gradually increased. The risk associated with dental procedures in patients with CIED implantation and the need for prevention of infective endocarditis remain unclear. The present study investigated the incidence and risk of infective endocarditis associated with invasive dental procedures in patients with CIEDs. METHODS AND RESULTS: We analysed a nationwide population-based cohort of patients with CIEDs who underwent dental procedures. We performed a self-controlled case series analysis and evaluated the incidence rate ratio of infective endocarditis 3 months after dental procedures. Of a total of 62 019 patients who underwent CIED implantation, 32 536 patients underwent at least one dental procedure during follow-up, and the mean number of dental procedures was 3.4 per patient. They were 152 infections with an incidence of 445 per 100 000 person-years in the dental procedure period and 500 events at an incidence of 255 per 100 000 person-years in the non-dental procedure period. The CIED-related infective endocarditis in the dental procedure period occurred significantly more frequently than during non-dental procedure periods (odds ratio, 1.75; 95% confidence interval, 1.48-2.05; P < 0.001). The mean time interval from dental procedure to infective endocarditis was 59.6 ± 47.3 days. CONCLUSION: Invasive dental procedures are associated with an increased risk of infective endocarditis in those who underwent CIED implantation. Appropriate preventive therapy might be needed in these patients.

The Comparative Risk of Serious Adverse Events With Tofacitinib and TNF Inhibitors in Patients With Ulcerative Colitis: The Korean Experience as Revealed by a National Database.

Tofacitinib is an oral, small-molecule Janus kinase inhibitor approved in South Korea for the treatment of moderate to severe ulcerative colitis (UC) on May 1, 2019. However, safety data are lacking. We investigated the incidence of serious adverse events (SAEs) in patients with UC using tofacitinib from the National Health Insurance Service database. In all, 1,026 UC patients were enrolled in this study. The overall incidences (100 person-years; 95% confidence interval) of SAEs were 4.06 (1.63-8.36) and 6.30 (4.59-8.43) in the tofacitinib and anti-TNFi groups, respectively. No thromboembolic event occurred and major cardiovascular events occurred in only three patients (two unstable angina and one congestive heart failure) in the tofacitinib group. The incidence of herpes zoster and tuberculosis did not differ between the two groups. There was no difference in the overall incidence of SAEs, including thromboembolic events, between tofacitinib- and TNFi-treated UC patients.

Clinical Effect of Hepatitis B Virus on COVID-19 Infected Patients: A Nationwide Population-Based Study Using the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service Database.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have recently suggested that liver disease and cirrhosis were risk factors for poor outcomes in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections. However, no large data study has reported the clinical course of COVID-19 patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections. This study investigated whether HBV infection had negative impacts on the clinical outcomes of COVID-19 patients. METHODS: We performed a nationwide population-based cohort study with 19,160 COVID-19-infected patients in 2020 from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment database. The clinical outcomes of COVID-19 patients with chronic HBV infections were assessed and compared to those of non-HBV-infected patients. RESULTS: Of the 19,160 patients diagnosed with COVID-19, 675 (3.5%) patients had chronic HBV infections. The HBV-infected patients were older and had more commodities than the non-HBV infected COVID-19 patients. During the observation period, COVID-19-related mortality was seen in 1,524 (8.2%) of the non-HBV-infected 18,485 patients, whereas 91 (13.5%) in HBV-infected 675 patients died of COVID-19 infection. Compared to patients without HBV infections, a higher proportion of patients with chronic HBV infections required intensive care unit (ICU) admission and had organ failures. However, odds ratios for mortality, ICU admission, and organ failure were comparable between the two groups after adjusting for age, sex, and comorbid diseases including liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. CONCLUSION: COVID-19-infected patients with HBV infections showed worse clinical courses than non-HBV-infected COVID-19 patients. However, after adjustment, chronic HBV infection itself does not seem to affect the clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients.

Pregnancy-associated risk factors and incidence of systemic sclerosis in primiparous women: A nationwide population-based cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the pregnancy-related risk factors and incidence rate (IR) of systemic sclerosis (SSc) in primipara using the Health Insurance Review and Assessment database, covering all medical claims in South Korea. METHODS: From the database, 2,260,952 primipara aged 18-49 years from 2008 to 2018 were identified. The patients were followed up after their index delivery until December 2019. A Cox proportional hazard analysis was performed to identify the association of pregnancy-related factors with SSc development. RESULTS: The SSc IR was 0.62 cases per 100,000 patient-years. Primipara had a higher risk of developing SSc after 3 years postpartum than in the first 3 years of delivery (OR = 1.98, 95% CI: 1.36-2.78, p < .001). A multivariate analysis showed that older age (35-49 years) (HR = 2.14, 95% CI: 1.05-4.35, p = .037) and a Caesarean section (CS) (HR = 1.86, 95% CI: 1.10-3.15, p = .021) are risk factors for SSc. At 3 years postpartum, CS (HR = 2.97, 95% CI: 1.39-6.32, p = .005) and a female infant (HR = 2.28, 95% CI: 1.11-4.71, p = .026) were associated with SSc development. CONCLUSION: Having a CS, late childbirth, and a female infant are the risk factors for SSc in primipara. This study establishes the IR of SSc in primipara.

Entecavir versus Tenofovir for the Prevention of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Treatment-naïve Chronic Hepatitis B Patients in Korea.

BACKGROUND: The occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major concern during antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis B. There are conflicting opinions regarding the effects of entecavir (ETV) and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) on HCC prevention. We assessed these two antiviral medications for preventing HCC in treatment-naïve patients with chronic hepatitis B. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using nationwide claims data from the Korea Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. We included 55,473 treatment-naïve adult cases where ETV or TDF treatment was started between 2013 and 2017 (cohort 1). The ETV and TDF groups were matched 1:2 based on age, sex, comorbidities, hospital type, and index date year. Patients were followed up until December 2018. The outcome was the development of HCC. Subgroup analyses were conducted according to sex, age, hospital type and the presence of cirrhosis. We also compared the outcomes of patients who had started antiviral therapy during the 2012-2014 period (cohort 2). RESULTS: The matched participants (18,491 in the ETV and 36,982 in the TDF groups) were a part of the study for, on average, 41.2 months. The incidence of HCC did not differ significantly between the ETV (1.46 per 100 patient-years) and the TDF (1.36 per 100 patient-years) treatments (hazard ratio, 0.93; 95% confidence interval, 0.86-1.01; P = 0.081). By contrast, HCC incidence was significantly higher in the ETV group than tenofovir group of cohort 2. CONCLUSION: In patients with chronic hepatitis B, the ETV treatment did not result in a higher rate of HCC than the TDF treatment.

Risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and thyroid cancer in primary Sjögren's syndrome measured using the Korean Health Insurance Claims Database.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence and risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and thyroid cancer in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) using the Korean National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) claims database. METHODS: pSS was identified using the Korean NHIS medical claims database between 2007 and 2017. The case definition required more than one visit based on the SS diagnostic code and the registration system for rare and incurable diseases. We included all admissions with a primary diagnosis of lymphoma and thyroid cancer. RESULTS: The pSS incidence was 1.88 cases/100,000 inhabitants. Female patients had a higher incidence than male patients, with a female-to-male ratio of 7.65:1. Of those, we identified 18 (0.34%), 1 (0.02%) and 29 (0.56%) patients with NHL, Hodgkin's disease and thyroid cancer, respectively. For pSS, the standardised incidence ratios for NHL and thyroid cancer were 6.32 (95% confidence interval [CI] 4.09-9.38) and 1.23 (95% CI 0.88-1.68), respectively. Compared with the general population, female patients with pSS had a 6.95-fold higher risk of developing NHL, while the male patients did not. Patients with pSS did not have a higher risk of developing thyroid cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Although pSS is associated with a higher risk of developing NHL, the risk of NHL appears to have decreased compared with that in previous studies. Our study suggests that the risk of NHL or thyroid cancer with SS is not higher than that reported in previous studies.

Real-world effectiveness of long-acting injections for reducing recurrent hospitalizations in patients with schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: The comparative effectiveness of antipsychotic long-acting injections (LAIs) and oral medication is not clear due to various methodological problems. METHODS: To compare the effectiveness of LAIs and oral antipsychotics in preventing readmission in patients with schizophrenia, we performed a within-subject analysis of data collected from 75,274 patients hospitalized with schizophrenia over a 10-year period (2008-2017). Readmission rates were compared according to medication status (non-medication, oral medication alone, and LAI medication). Each admission episodes were compared according to medication status before admission. RESULTS: Total 132,028 episodes of admission were analyzed. During 255,664 person-years of total observation, 101,589 outcome events occurred. Comparing LAI to only oral medication, IRR was 0.71 (0.64-0.78, P < 0.001). IRR of LAI to only oral medication of first index admission was 0.74 (0.65-0.86). As hospitalization was repeated, IRR of second, third, and fourth or more index admission decreased 0.65 (0.53-0.79), 0.56 (0.43-0.76), and 0.42 (0.31-0.56), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: LAI treatment reduced the readmission rate by 29% compared with oral medication in real-world settings. Moreover, LAIs reduced the readmission rate by 58% in patients with repeated admissions. The more readmissions, the greater the effect of LAIs in reducing the risk of re-hospitalization compared with oral antipsychotics.

Incidence and Prevalence of Central Precocious Puberty in Korea: An Epidemiologic Study Based on a National Database.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the prevalence and incidence of central precocious puberty in Korea using claims data provided by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service in Korea as the population-based epidemiologic study. STUDY DESIGN: In this national registry-based, longitudinal, epidemiologic study, patients who were registered with an International Classifications of Diseases, Tenth Revision diagnosis of central precocious puberty (E22.8 according to International Classifications of Diseases, Tenth Revision) and treated with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist were included. We assessed the age- and sex-specific prevalence and incidence rates of central precocious puberty in Korea from 2008 to 2014. RESULTS: A total of 37 890 girls and 1220 boys were newly registered with a diagnosis of central precocious puberty from 2008 to 2014. The overall incidence of central precocious puberty during the study period was 122.8 per 100 000 persons (girls, 262.8; boys, 7.0). The overall prevalence of central precocious puberty during the study period was 193.2 per 100 000 persons (girls, 410.6; boys, 10.9). The incidence and prevalence of central precocious puberty steeply increased during the study period in both girls and boys. CONCLUSIONS: This epidemiologic study, based on a national registry that included Korean children, demonstrated that the incidence and prevalence rates of central precocious puberty were high and increased steeply during the study period. Further investigations to determine the underlying causes for this rapid increase in central precocious puberty are needed.

Chemopreventive Effect of Rebamipide against Gastric Cancer in Patients who undergo Endoscopic Resection for Early Gastric Neoplasms: A Nationwide Claims Study.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Previous studies have shown that rebamipide is potentially protective against gastric cancer; however, no epidemiologic studies of its chemopreventive effects in patients who have a high risk of gastric cancer have been performed. The aim of this study was to investigate whether rebamipide administration reduces the risk of gastric cancer. METHODS: We conducted a population-based cohort study using data retrospectively collected from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database in Korea. Patients who underwent endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for early gastric neoplasms between 2011 and 2014 were included. RESULTS: During 73,416 person-years of follow-up, 711 patients were newly diagnosed with gastric cancer, including 377 low-dose (below median) and 334 high-dose (above median) rebamipide users (37,157.4 and 36,258.3 per 100,000 person-years, respectively; log-rank test, p = 0.052). There were significant differences in gastric cancer incidence rates according to age, sex, and initial diagnosis at the time of index ESD. After adjusting for these clinical factors, high-dose use was associated with a reduced risk of gastric cancer (hazard ratio 0.858; 95% CI 0.739-0.995, p = 0.043). CONCLUSION: High-dose rebamipide is associated with reduced gastric cancer risk in high-risk populations who undergo endoscopic resection for early gastric neoplasms.

Antithyroid Drugs and Congenital Malformations: A Nationwide Korean Cohort Study.

Background: Untreated or insufficiently treated Graves disease in pregnancy may pose risks to both mother and fetus. Antithyroid drugs (ATDs) are the treatment mainstay, but the potential teratogenic effect of these drugs has prompted clinicians to question the safe management of this vulnerable population. Objective: To examine the association between maternal prescriptions for ATDs and congenital malformations in live births. Design: Nationwide cohort study. Setting: Korean National Health Insurance database. Participants: A cohort of 2 886 970 completed pregnancies linked to live-born infants in 2 210 253 women between 2008 and 2014. Intervention: Maternal prescriptions for ATDs in the first trimester. Measurements: The risk for overall and organ-specific congenital malformations in offspring, with logistic regression models used to control for potential confounders. Results: 12 891 pregnancies (0.45%) were exposed to ATDs during the first trimester. The prevalence of malformations in exposed offspring was 7.27%, compared with 5.94% in offspring of women who were not prescribed ATDs during pregnancy (P < 0.001) (adjusted odds ratio, 1.19 [95% CI, 1.12 to 1.28]). Absolute increases in the prevalence of congenital malformations per 1000 live births were 8.81 cases (CI, 3.92 to 13.70 cases) for propylthiouracil alone, 17.05 cases (CI, 1.94 to 32.15 cases) for methimazole (MMI) alone, and 16.53 cases (CI, 4.73 to 28.32 cases) for propylthiouracil and MMI, compared with pregnancies without ATD prescriptions. In the MMI group, a high cumulative dose (>495 mg) during the first trimester was associated with an increased risk for malformations compared with a low dose (1 to 126 mg) (adjusted odds ratio, 1.87 [CI, 1.06 to 3.30]). Limitation: The study used a prescription claims database to assess ATD exposure. Conclusion: Exposure to ATDs during the first trimester was associated with increased risk for congenital malformations, particularly for pregnancies in which women received prescriptions for MMI or both ATDs. Primary Funding Source: None.

Incidence of Adhesive Bowel Obstruction After Colon Cancer Surgery and its Risk Factors: A Nationwide Claim Study.

OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the incidence of adhesive postoperative bowel obstruction (PBO) after colon cancer surgery and its risk factors using nationwide claim data. BACKGROUND: PBO has a significant impact on quality of life and medical costs after colectomy, though most of the literature consists of single-institution analyses. METHODS: Data from 24,645 patients who underwent regional colectomy for colon cancer from 2010 to 2012 and had at least 3 years of follow up were obtained from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database. Patients who required nasogastric tube insertion or bowel obstruction surgery more than 30 days after index colectomy were defined as having PBO. RESULTS: A total of 3083 (12.5%) patients experienced at least one PBO episode within 3 years after surgery. Logistic regression analysis showed that significant risk factors for PBO were elderly (odds ratio, OR = 1.13), male (OR = 1.27), open colectomy (OR = 1.99), and low-volume institution (OR = 1.17). Among 3083 PBO patients, 50.7% experienced their 1st PBO during the 1st year after the index colectomy, and 7.8% experienced recurrence within 3 years after index colectomy. The 3-year cumulative incidences of PBO according to risk factors of elderly, male, open colectomy, and low-volume institution were 14.6%, 14.3%, 19.5%, and 15.1%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We report several independent risk factors for PBO and its incidence after regional colectomy for colon cancer. These results are informative for medical providers as patients who will or have had the procedure and could be useful baseline data for further research on the active prevention or treatment of PBO after colectomy.

Incidence of Clinically Relevant Incisional Hernia After Colon Cancer Surgery and Its Risk Factors: A Nationwide Claims Study.

BACKGROUND: As there is scant literature focusing on incisional hernia for which hospital care is sought, the aim of this study was to elucidate the incidence and risk factors of overt incisional hernia (OIH) after colon cancer surgery using nationwide claims data. METHODS: Claims data of colon cancer patients who underwent regional colectomy were obtained from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database of South Korea. Data from 2010 to 2012 were collected to ensure adequate follow-up. OIH was considered to be present when either the diagnosis code for IH or the claim code for IH repair was entered after index colectomy for colon cancer. RESULTS: A total of 24,645 patients underwent regional colectomy for colon cancer during the study period. Of these, 376 (1.5%) patients had an OIH within 3 years after surgery, and 50.3% of OIHs developed within the first year after the index colectomy (883.7 cases/10,000 patient-years). The Cox proportional hazard model showed that age >65 years, female gender, open colectomy, and institution volume <100 colectomies per year were statistically significant risk factors for OIH. The 3-year cumulative OIH incidence rates according to age >65 years, female gender, open colectomy, and institution volume <100 colectomies per year were 2.1, 2.1, 2.0, and 2.1%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Several risk factors for OIH and its incidence after regional colectomy for colon cancer were identified. These findings are helpful for classifying patients undergoing segmental colectomy who have increased the likelihood of developing IH and are informative for patients and medical providers performing the surgery.

Real-world treatment patterns for patients 80 years and older with early lung cancer: a nationwide claims study.

BACKGROUND: Old age is an important factor that could affect the treatment of early-stage lung cancer. In this study, we evaluated the treatment patterns and outcomes of patients over the age of 80 years who had been diagnosed with early-stage lung cancer in real-world practice. METHODS: Elderly patients who were diagnosed with early-stage lung cancer between 2008 and 2016 were identified using claims data provided by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. The proportion of patients who underwent surgical resection or stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), practice pattern trends, and overall survival (OS) were analyzed from the population-based data. RESULTS: Over 9 years, 1,684 patients underwent surgical resection (74.9%) or SBRT (25.1%) as a localized treatment. From 2008 to 2016, the treatment modality changed: the percentage of patients who underwent surgical resection decreased from 90.6 to 71.4%, and those who underwent SBRT increased from 9.4 to 28.6%. The percentage of patients treated with SBRT increased over time (p < 0.001). The median OS was 56.4 months in the surgery group and 35.5 months in the SBRT group. The SBRT group showed worse OS compared with the surgery group (Adjusted hazard ratio, 1.44; 95% confidence interval, 1.21-1.72; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Changes in local treatment patterns in elderly lung cancer patients were observed and SBRT increased its role in this population. Surgical resection or SBRT should be considered the treatment of choice in elderly patients with localized lung cancer. Further prospective studies are required to elucidate the benefits of surgery and SBRT.

Incidence of permanent hypocalcaemia after total thyroidectomy with or without central neck dissection for thyroid carcinoma: a nationwide claim study.

OBJECTIVE: Permanent hypocalcaemia is the most common and serious complication after total thyroidectomy (TT). This study examined the impact of central neck dissection (CND) and institutional volume on rates of permanent hypocalcaemia by analysing data held in the nationwide claim database of South Korea. DESIGN: Data from patients who underwent TT due to thyroid carcinoma from 2007-2013 were obtained from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database. Of these, patients prescribed more than 1000 mg of elemental calcium for more than 288 days during the first 360 days postsurgery were defined as having permanent hypocalcaemia. RESULTS: In total, 192 333 patients (32 988 male and 159 345 female) were eligible for analysis. Of these, 52 707 (27·4%) underwent TT alone and 139 626 (72·6%) underwent TT plus CND. The incidence of permanent hypocalcaemia was greater in the TT plus CND group than in the TT alone group (5·4% vs 4·6%, P < 0·001). The age- and sex-adjusted risk for permanent hypocalcaemia in the TT plus CND group was 1·20 (P < 0·001). CND did not raise the rates of permanent hypocalcaemia in institutes with a low volume of annual cases (<200), whereas permanent hypocalcaemia was more common in the TT plus CND group than in the TT alone group (3·5% vs 2·9%, P = 0·002) in institutes with a large volume of annual cases (≥800). CONCLUSIONS: TT plus CND was associated with a greater risk of permanent hypocalcaemia than TT alone. Surgeons should consider the risk of permanent hypocalcaemia when deciding whether to perform CND.

Epidemiologic Study on Kawasaki Disease in Korea, 2007-2014: Based on Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service Claims.

The aim of this study is to assess the actual epidemiologic features of Kawasaki disease (KD) in Korea using the data from Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA) claims from 2007 to 2014. We investigated HIRA claims of patients who had KD (International Classification of Diseases-10, M30.3) as a major diagnosis and were given intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) from 2007 to 2014. A total of 39,082 patients were reported during the period. The male-to-female ratio was 1.42 and the median age was 28 months. The incidence rates were 168.3 per 100,000 population aged 0 to 4 years in 2007, 159.1 in 2008, 167.3 in 2009, 190.4 in 2010, 188.2 in 2011, 190.2 in 2012, 210.4 in 2013 and 217.2 in 2014. These rates were much higher than those in the previous studies in Korea. KD occurred more often in early summer (May, June and July) and winter (December and January). The annual incidence rate of KD had been increasing every year, reaching 217.2 per 100,000 population aged 0 to 4 years in 2014. It is the second highest incidence rate of KD in the world after Japan.

Evolving trends in treatment patterns for hepatocellular carcinoma in Korea from 2008 to 2022: a nationwide population-based study.

Background/Aims: The treatment landscape for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has significantly evolved over the past decade. We aimed to analyze trends in treatment patterns for HCC using a nationwide claims database from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. Methods: This retrospective population-based cohort study analyzed 171,002 newly diagnosed HCC patients between 2008 and 2022. Etiologies and treatment modalities were categorized based on the ICD-10 codes and insurance data. Results: The annual incidence decreased from 11,814 in 2008 to 10,443 in 2022. However, patients aged ≥ 70 increased noticeably, with those aged ≥ 80 rising from 3.8% in 2008 to 13.1% in 2022. From 2008 to 2022, the predominant cause of hepatitis B virus decreased from 68.9% to 59.7%, whereas nonalcoholic fatty liver disease increased from 8.9% to 15.8%. The initial treatment trends shifted: surgical resection and systemic therapy increased from 12.2% to 21.3% and from 0.2% to 9.6%, whereas transarterial therapy decreased from 49.9% to 36.6%. Best supportive care decreased from 31.7% to 21.3%. In the subgroup analysis, laparoscopic resection rate increased from 10.6% to 60.6% among the surgical resections. Sorafenib initially accounted for 100%, lenvatinib peaked at 36.5% in 2021, and atezolizumab-bevacizumab became the most widely used (63.1%) by 2022 among the systemic therapies. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the temporal changes in the treatment patterns of Korean HCC patients. Surgical resection, particularly laparoscopic liver resection, and systemic therapy has increased significantly. These changes may have been influenced by reimbursement policies and advances in clinical research.

Comparison of the Persistence of Anti-TNF Agents and Ustekinumab in Patients with Crohn's Disease: A Study Based on the Korean National Database.

BACKGROUND: Biologics play an important role in the treatment of moderate to severe Crohn's disease (CD). Ustekinumab was approved for such patients in the Republic of Korea on 1 December 2018. Therefore, we need to compare the efficacy of ustekinumab and anti-TNF inhibitors. METHODS: We compared one-year persistence rates between anti-TNF inhibitors and ustekinumab in moderate-to-severe CD patients using Korean National Health Insurance Service data from 1 December 2016 to 30 November 2021. We also analysed the risk factors for the non-persistence of biologics. RESULTS: The one-year persistence rates with index therapy in bio-naïve and bio-experienced patients were 87.7% and 69.7% for infliximab (p < 0.001), 85.1% and 72.8% for adalimumab (p < 0.001), and 92.1% and 89.8% for ustekinumab (p = 0.333), respectively. The risk factors for non-persistence were older age, non-use of an immune modulator, and previous biologic exposure in both the infliximab and adalimumab groups. The one-year persistence rate of ustekinumab was higher than that of anti-TNF inhibitors in bio-naïve patients (hazard ratio [HR] 0.53; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.35-0.81; p = 0.003) and bio-experienced patients (HR 0.32; 95% CI 0.22-0.45; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Ustekinumab was superior in bio-naïve CD patients compared to anti-TNF inhibitors. However, the follow-up time was relatively short; further studies should continuously collect and analyse data.

Beyond Acute COVID-19: Investigating the Incidence of Subacute Thyroiditis in Long COVID-19 in Korea.

BACKGRUOUND: The correlation between acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and subacute thyroiditis (SAT) has not been clearly investigated in "long COVID" patients. We aimed to investigate the incidence of SAT during convalescence and after the acute phase of COVID-19, comparing with that of the general population. METHODS: Data from a total of 422,779 COVID-19 patients and a control group of 2,113,895 individuals were analyzed. The index date was defined as the date 3 months after confirmation of COVID-19. The incidence rate (IR) of SAT and hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated per 100,000 persons. Subgroup analysis included analysis of HRs 90-179 and 180 days post-COVID-19 diagnosis; and additional analysis was conducted according to hospitalization status, sex, and age group. RESULTS: The IR of SAT was 17.28 per 100,000 persons (95% confidence interval [CI], 12.56 to 23.20) in the COVID-19 group and 8.63 (95% CI, 6.37 to 11.45) in the control group. The HR of COVID-19 patients was 1.76 (95% CI, 1.01 to 3.06; P=0.045). The HR of SAT was 1.39 (95% CI, 0.82 to 2.34; P=0.220) up to 6 months after the index date and 2.30 (95% CI, 1.60 to 3.30; P<0.001) beyond 6 months. The HR for SAT among COVID-19 patients was 2.00 (95% CI, 1.41 to 2.83) in hospitalized patients and 1.76 (95% CI, 1.01 to 3.06) in non-hospitalized patients compared to the control group. The IR of SAT was 27.09 (95% CI, 20.04 to 35.82) for females and 6.47 (95% CI, 3.34 to 11.30) for males. In the 19 to 64 age group, the IR of SAT was 18.19 (95% CI, 13.70 to 23.67), while the IR was 9.18 (95% CI, 7.72 to 10.84) in the 65 to 69 age group. CONCLUSION: SAT could be a potential long-term complication of COVID-19. Long-term surveillance for thyroid dysfunction is needed especially in hospitalized, female and young-aged subjects.

Risk for Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus after COVID-19 among Korean Adults: A Nationwide Matched Cohort Study.

BACKGRUOUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can cause various extrapulmonary sequelae, including diabetes. However, it is unclear whether these effects persist 30 days after diagnosis. Hence, we investigated the incidence of newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the post-acute phase of COVID-19. METHODS: This cohort study used data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, a representative national healthcare database in Korea. We established a cohort of 348,180 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 without a history of diabetes between January 2020 and September 2021. The control group consisted of sex- and age-matched individuals with neither a history of diabetes nor COVID-19. We assessed the hazard ratios (HR) of newly diagnosed T2DM patients with COVID-19 compared to controls, adjusted for age, sex, and the presence of hypertension and dyslipidemia. RESULTS: In the post-acute phase, patients with COVID-19 had an increased risk of newly diagnosed T2DM compared to those without COVID-19 (adjusted HR, 1.30; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.27 to 1.33). The adjusted HRs of non-hospitalized, hospitalized, and intensive care unit-admitted patients were 1.14 (95% CI, 1.08 to 1.19), 1.34 (95% CI, 1.30 to 1.38), and 1.78 (95% CI, 1.59 to 1.99), respectively. The risk of T2DM in patients who were not administered glucocorticoids also increased (adjusted HR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.25 to 1.32). CONCLUSION: COVID-19 may increase the risk of developing T2DM beyond the acute period. The higher the severity of COVID-19 in the acute phase, the higher the risk of newly diagnosed T2DM. Therefore, T2DM should be included as a component of managing long-term COVID-19.